Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Set the World on Fire

I ran across a great quote that fits this journey of discovering who God created me to be:

"Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire." 
~St. Catherine of Sienna

The more we look at how God has wired us ~our personality, natural talents and abilities, even the circumstances we have lived through since childhood that have served to shape us ~ the more we get in touch with all of this and learn how to live out of who we are, the more we will function out of our true self. I have come to see over the past few years that some circumstances from childhood have shaped me for the good and some not so good, but all of it has shaped me. For example, due to life circumstances as I grew up and then became an adult, I functioned as an extrovert. I spent 16 years in the hospitality industry and you just have to be outgoing. I do function more naturally as an extrovert when brainstorming. But in the past few years I have discovered that in order for me to really feel re-energized, I need solitude, and I need to work in times of being away from people throughout my week or I feel incredibly drained. As I have read more and more about introverts I find that I really resonate with their characteristics and find myself connecting with activities that energize and inspire introverts. Discovering this has helped me in my lifelong struggle with periods of burn-out. I'm learning to pace myself better and to build in time for those activities that give me energy and life. Self-discovery is valuable and healthy as long as it doesn't lead to navel gazing, but serves to help us be better at life and at serving God. Be who you are ~ become your true self, the "you" God created you to be. This is my journey. :)

BTW, in reading my post yesterday about the various paths of my journey that seem to be converging right now - my hubby pointed out that we, ironically, just purchase a new vehicle ~ a Dodge Journey!

I did an art journal page with the above quote and played with a number of art mediums: collage, lettering, some stamping, and I tried some doodling. I am very drawn to doodling but am not an artist in the sense that I can draw or paint objects. I'm not sure I like my doodling results, but it was fun to play ~ and that, after all, is a part of what art journaling is for me! A time to play, to re-energize, to put what's in my heart on paper in different ways.




3 comments:

  1. That looks an awful lot like art to me! Such a liberating quote. I am finding that I can serve God better by understanding how He's made me. Also, childhood doesn't HAVE to define us. We can be freed!

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  2. i'm with anna - you ARE an artist. that's something deep inside. the learning to draw and paint objects, etc, is just that - something you learn, hone! keep playing with art and see what He sets on fire! :)

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  3. Like you, I thought I was an extrovert because in order to be successful in my job, I had to have strong people skills. I worked for a fairly large municipality and was comfortable enough with the culture that it was enjoyable to work with so many different people. But like you, when I started looking at what an introvert is, I realized that was what I was. If I do not get some solitude on a regular basis, I am a crazy person! Realizing that, I made an effort to get that solitude whenever possible, even if that means closing the door to my studio and working away for an hour.

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